STA, 1 October 2021 - The Health Ministry has asked the Medical Chamber to examine whether under 18-year-olds may have received the viral vector vaccines Janssen and AstraZeneca, which have not been approved for that age group.
"Patients' health is always our top priority, this is why we have requested, based on the healthcare act, an extraordinary expert oversight from the Medical Chamber," the ministry said on Friday.
Data published on the website of the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ) indicates that 219 persons under 18 years of age have been vaccinated with the single-shot Janssen jab, while the first shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine has been administered to 45 and the second to 20 under 18s.
The national advisory committee on immunization affiliated with the NIJZ has never recommended the two viral vector vaccines for the 12-17-year olds, the NIJZ noted in response for the STA.
It did allow for the possibility that errors may have occurred as vaccination centres entered data in the registry of vaccinated persons and adverse side-effects.
Questions over potential administering of Janssen and AstraZeneca vaccines to under 18s began to be raised after a 20-year-old woman died of brain haemorrhaging and blood clots within a fortnight after receiving a Janssen shot.
Demand for the vaccine, produced by Johnson & Johnson, surged in Slovenia after the government imposed the recovered-vaccinated-tested mandate for almost all services and decided that those vaccinated qualify for the Covid pass the next day after receiving the Janssen shot.
